The Nickel Boys

Locations
Call Number: Fiction / Whitehead, Colson, Adult Book / Fiction / Historical / Whitehead, Colson, Adult Book / Fiction / Historical / Whitehead, Colson
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Malletts Creek Branch, Westgate Branch

In this bravura follow-up to the Pulitzer Prize, and National Book Award-winning The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead brilliantly dramatizes another strand of American history through the story of two boys sentenced to a hellish reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida. As the Civil Rights movement begins to reach the black enclave of Frenchtown in segregated Tallahassee, Elwood Curtis takes the words of Dr. Martin Luther King to heart: He is "as good as anyone." Abandoned by his parents, but kept on the straight and narrow by his grandmother, Elwood is about to enroll in the local black college. But for a black boy in the Jim Crow South of the early 1960s, one innocent mistake is enough to destroy the future. Elwood is sentenced to a juvenile reformatory called the Nickel Academy, whose mission statement says it provides "physical, intellectual and moral training" so the delinquent boys in their charge can become "honorable and honest men." In reality, the Nickel Academy is a grotesque chamber of horrors where the sadistic staff beats and sexually abuses the students, corrupt officials and locals steal food and supplies, and any boy who resists is likely to disappear "out back." Stunned to find himself in such a vicious environment, Elwood tries to hold onto Dr. King's ringing assertion "Throw us in jail and we will still love you." His friend Turner thinks Elwood is worse than naive, that the world is crooked, and that the only way to survive is to scheme and avoid trouble. The tension between Elwood's ideals and Turner's skepticism leads to a decision whose repercussions will echo down the decades. Formed in the crucible of the evils Jim Crow wrought, the boys' fates will be determined by what they endured at the Nickel Academy.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Boys submitted by Clown81 on August 31, 2019, 4:56pm 5 cents.

Talented storytelling submitted by Susan4Pax -prev. sueij- on June 20, 2020, 3:46pm A powerful fiction story based on the real life history of a boys’ reformatory school in Florida, _The Nickel Boys_ is personal, heart-wrenching, and drew me in completely. I loved the balance between history and present, and did not expect the ending. Whitehead is a talented writer with skills that draw readers into the heart of the story. Highly recommended, but know that it will hurt your heart.

Colson Whitehead submitted by AGAPHD on July 5, 2020, 8:11pm I love Colson Whitehead. This is an incredibly engaging text--powerful, human, heartbreaking.

Spoiler alert, kinda submitted by sushai on July 18, 2020, 9:35am I have read a couple of Whitehead's other books, but this one to me was by far the best. I was invested the whole way through and sometimes had to remind myself to slow down and notice just what a gift he has for telling the story. So many times I wanted to highlight a turn of phrase, but it was a library book so I restrained myself.
I liked the way the story went back and forth between different time settings. I liked the character development. I didn't like the "twist," but then I never do.
It's disturbing to know this story of abuse and even murder of black children is based on a true story, but then nothing is really surprising. I think this book would be a great required book in high school.

Incredible, and based on a horrifying true story submitted by jaromatorio on July 24, 2020, 11:33am 'The Nickel Boys’ is fictional, but based on the true and absolutely horrifying story of the Dozier School for Boys that operated for 111 years before being shut down by the State of Florida in 2011. The Dozier School was known for corruption and for the staff’s wanton abuse of students—an unknown number of pupils (but upwards of 100 if estimates are correct) died while at the institution.⠀
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‘The Nickel Boys’ follows the story of Elwood—a studious, straight-laced young Black man growing up in civil rights era Tallahassee, Florida—who gets caught in the wrong place at the wrong time and is arrested for a crime he didn’t commit. As punishment Elwood is sent to The Nickel Academy, a reform school for wayward boys, where corruption, racism, and violence run rampant.⠀
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Having grown up listening to the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Elwood is idealistic and determined to weather his time at The Nickel Academy with his head held high. He believes that, if he can make it through, he can take the Academy and its corrupt staff down “the right way”. The friends Elwood makes during his time at Nickel, particularly another young Black man named Turner, are more jaded than Elwood, and roll their eyes at his confidence that righteousness will prevail.⠀
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As the abuses of students continue to escalate during Elwood’s time at Nickel, he makes the fateful choice to fight back against the violence and corruption of the school. His decision sends him and Turner down a dangerous path from which only one of them will return.⠀
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Like I said, this book is absolutely incredible and will completely tear you apart. Please read it!!!!⠀

Award Winner submitted by flemingj on July 25, 2020, 9:31am Certainly understand why Mr. Whitehead keeps winning awards. I did perfer this book to Underground Railroad.

Very compelling, but not his best submitted by jkupetz on June 15, 2021, 10:42am At his best, Whitehead is the best living American novelist. While this book is powerful and has one truly breathtaking moment, the prose is more conventional than his earlier—and to me more appealing—novels like Intuituonist and Apex.

Another great book by Colson Whitehead submitted by kath on July 17, 2021, 5:31pm Based on real events, Colson Whitehead writes a fictionalized account of a boys schools that is true horror.

Wow submitted by bcartm01 on June 21, 2022, 8:22pm I can never say enough about Colson Whiteheads work. He is one of my favorites, hands down. I loved the story. I got swept up in it and read it in one day. It was so painful and heartbreaking, and the end was quite a surprise.

Fantastic! submitted by manz on July 22, 2023, 9:49pm Such a great book. An absolute winner of a book. Might be my fave by Whitehead.